Blueprints for Technology: Drafting a Workable Plan

Addressing nonprofit-specific needs in technology planning

How do you get your technology management out of crisis mode? How do you align it with your mission and goals? Tech Tuesday in November, provided organizations some tips on beginning the strategic technology planning process.

There’s a big difference between technology project planning and strategic planning for technology. Project planning happens a piece at a time and, unfortunately, is often driven by crisis.

A strategic technology plan maps out deliberate steps for aligning technology use with your organization’s mission and goals and:

  • Takes a comprehensive view of your organization’s information management needs
  • Has active and visible support from the organization’s leadership
  • Focuses on "action planning" taking into consideration the current situation, resources within your reach, roles and responsibilities, timelines, and methods to monitor and evaluate success.

Technology planning is an important step but not all organizations are necessarily ready to take it. Before you begin, ask yourself if the following questions...

  • Does my organization have a clear sense of self -- who we are; what we do; what are our business processes?
  • Are we capable of working in a cross-functional team for the good of the organization?
  • Are we reasonably crisis-free (not about to lose major funding, leadership or direction)?

Take a first step

Evaluating your organization’s preconceptions about technology is a good first step in the planning proces. The Technology Planning Assessment (available here as a pdf file) is a tool you can use within your organization to gauge your current position. It can also help you set priorities for your planning process.

What’s Next?

CCTS can guide your organization through the Strategic Technology Planning process. If you’re ready to start the process or just looking for more information, contact us at ccts@ubalt.edu or by phone (410-837-6741)

Get in touch

Do you have questions? Comments? We’d love to hear from you.
email: ccts@ubalt.edu
phone: (410) 837-6741